Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to products made or derived from tobacco, or that otherwise incorporate tobacco, and are intended for human consumption. In this regard, aspects of the present disclosure relate to smoking articles, and, more particularly, to apparatuses and associated methods for forming a filter element of a smoking article, such as a cigarette.
Description of Related Art
Popular smoking articles, such as cigarettes, have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge, roll, or column of smokable material such as shredded tobacco (e.g., in cut filler form) surrounded by a paper wrapper thereby forming a so-called “smokable rod” or “tobacco rod.” Normally, a cigarette has a cylindrical filter element aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, a filter element comprises cellulose acetate tow plasticized using triacetin, and the tow is circumscribed by a paper material known as “plug wrap.” A cigarette can incorporate a filter element having multiple segments. In some instances, one of those segments can comprise activated charcoal particles. Typically, the filter element is attached to one end of the tobacco rod using a circumscribing material known as “tipping paper” or “tipping material.” It also has become desirable to perforate the tipping material and plug wrap, in order to provide dilution of drawn mainstream smoke with ambient air. Descriptions of cigarettes and the various components thereof are set forth Tobacco Production, Chemistry and Technology, Davis et al. (Eds.) (1999). A cigarette is employed by a smoker by lighting one end thereof and burning the tobacco rod. The smoker then receives mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the filter end) of the cigarette.
Although the above-described embodiments of filter elements may function properly, it can be desirable, for example, to produce components of the filter elements from biodegradable materials. Further, it may be desirable to retain the sensory attributes (e.g., taste and/or smell) associated with cellulose acetate plasticized by triacetin. Accordingly, it may be desirable to facilitate the manufacture of such biodegradable flavored cigarettes, in a rapid, highly-automated fashion. As such, there exists a need for apparatuses and methods capable of producing biodegradable filter elements that may retain desirable sensory attributes.